DJ-1, a novel biomarker and a selected target gene for overcoming chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer

Journal of Cancer Research & Clinical Oncology, 04/30/2012

Chen Y et al. – The results suggest that the serum level of DJ–1 may be a potential biomarker for pancreatic cancer, and that DJ–1 plays critical roles in the pancreatic tumor chemoresistance, supporting the development of chemotherapeutic approaches targeting this oncogene.

Methods

The serum level of DJ-1 was higher in 128 pancreatic cancer patients compared with 62 healthy controls by ELISA.

To determine the effect of DJ-1 on pancreatic tumor chemoresistance, a siRNA-targeting DJ-1 was synthesized and a stably transfected cell line with DJ-1 over-expression was constructed.

The mechanism of tumor chemoresistance was assessed by multiple methods, such as MTT assay, real-time PCR, Western blot and flow cytometry.

Results

The serum level of DJ-1 was higher in pancreatic cancer patients than healthy controls, and it has the relationship with tumor differentiation in pancreatic cancer.